It may be desirable to alter or prevent the actuation of a vehicle occupant protection device, such as an air bag, depending on the position of the occupant relative to the protection device. To this point, numerous systems have been developed to detect the position of a vehicle occupant relative to the protection device. Known systems utilize ultrasonic sensors, infrared sensors, microwave sensors or a combination of various sensing devices to detect the position of a vehicle occupant. Other known systems determine the position of a vehicle occupant by detecting the position of the vehicle seat in which the occupant is seated. Such known systems utilize a variety of sensing devices, such as limit switches and potentiometers, to sense the seat position.